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Heroes Motorsport Founder
Al Almahdi is a Navy veteran who served in Iraq with 26th MEU CI, Force Recon, as well as the Navy, Army, and CIA, as an interpreter. His service to the country spans a lifetime. Even before he graduated high school, he interned with the US state department in an embassy overseas. After being in combat in Iraq, Al faced what many veterans faced in returning to the states, difficulty in re-integrating back into family, society and normal life.
After several years of struggling to re-integrate back into society and through many challenges, Al renewed his love for unique cars and racing. This led him to get an M3 that he just happened to be driving on a camping trip with his service dog, Hawkeye. By chance, he met the mother of a marine veteran who was having his own struggles. The young marine was at the same campground Al was staying at and the rangers, knowing he was a combat veteran, asked Al if he would be willing to come and speak to the young man who was having a difficult time. Al missed being able to speak to the marine by mere minutes because the veteran left to seek help, but Al was able to speak to his mother, who said in passing how much her son loved cars and racing. She felt it might have helped her son to focus on something exciting that called to mind the camaraderie that he experienced with his brothers in arms.
That started Al thinking about how cars and racing might help other veterans and the idea of Heroes Motorsport began to take shape. The veteran suicide rate weighed heavy on his heart, and he had been looking for a way to help. He decided to create a racing team as an outreach to help veterans who felt hopeless, disconnected, and isolated to be able to make connections to other veterans through racing and to possibly use racing to reach those veterans who might be thinking of suicide as their only option. In short, those who faced the same things he faced.
For most of his life, Al has had a heart for service. As a young adult coming home late in the evening with his wife Cari, they saw the neighboring apartment building on fire and he woke up all the residents while his wife ran to get help, getting 15 people out of the burning building. Helping those in need encouraged him in his own life during tough times and encouraged him to continue to find ways to serve and save lives.
Starting Heroes Motorsport was a natural progression of that and now, working with Cathy Fuss and Lucky Dog Racing League to foster a love of motorsports and racing has led to several veterans starting their own teams, reaching more and more veterans at risk.
“To All of My Brothers in Arms… You are not alone. We fought together, we suffered and sacrificed together, and we will get through it together, as one. You are with all of us.”
Al Almahdi, USN, Iraq combat veteran.
